Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Surprise Season 4 Tease Features Captain Pike Like You’ve Never Seen Him Before

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds dropped a surprise season 4 tease showing Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) as fans have never seen him before. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 is currently streaming on Paramount+ after a 2-year wait. Strange New Worlds' new episodes continue the genre-bending voyages of the Starship Enterprise as Paramount+'s new flagship Star Trek series.

At San Diego Comic-Con's Star Trek Universe Hall H panel, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds revealed a surprise teaser for an upcoming season 4 episode where Captain Pike is a puppet. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 recently wrapped filming, and Comic-Con's mic drop confirms that a puppet episode, with puppets created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, will be part of Strange New Worlds season 4. Check out the hilarious teaser below:

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds also treated fans in Hall H to a surprise screening of director Jonathan Frakes' holodeck murder mystery episode, "A Space Adventure Hour." Check out the new key art for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 4 below:

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4's Puppet Episode Explained

This Was Hinted At During Season 2

A puppet episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was talked about during season 2. Following the warm reception of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' musical episode and Strange New Worlds' comedic crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks, executive producers and co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers hinted at their desire to do a puppet episode.

Puppet episodes of TV series are nothing new. Angel season 5 had a memorable episode where Angel (David Boreanaz) was turned into a puppet. Prime Video's The Boys and Gen V have also utilized several scenes involving puppets for comedic and horrific effect. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds prides itself on taking "big swings," and a puppet episode has to be the biggest swing yet (that fans now know about).

Our Take On Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4's Puppet Episode

Big Swings Are Nothing New To Strange New Worlds

Fans paying attention to the trajectory of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and what Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have hinted at, shouldn't be all that surprised that Strange New Worlds season 4 will have a puppet episode. After all, Strange New Worlds' crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks already featured an animated Captain Pike and his USS Enterprise crew, and comedy is ingrained in the show's DNA.

A puppet episode seems like another "big swing" that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will pull off against all odds. Experimenting with genres is central to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' five-year mission, and the prequel delights in pushing the boundaries of what Star Trek is capable of. A puppet episode may sound insane to some, but this has the makings of another offbeat classic outing for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.